THE U.S. IS NOT IMMUNE TO FOREIGN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS, JUST THIS MONTH, TWO MEN WITH TIES TO THE RUSSIAN MOB WERE CONVICTED IN A PLOT TO KILL AN IRANIAN-AMERICAN JOURNALIST AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVIST LIVING IN NEW YORK.

HER NAME IS MASIH ALINEJAD.

AS THE COURT HEARD, HER ATTEMPTED MURDER IN 2022 WAS ORCHESTRATED BY THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT, PART OF MORE THAN A DECADE OF VIOLENT PLOTS TARGETING ITS CRITICS ABROAD.

I SPOKE WITH HER ABOUT HOW SHE SEES THESE TIMES IN IRAN AND THE U.S. AND BEGAN BY ASKING HER REACTION TO THE GUILTY VERDICT FOR HER WOULD-BE ASSASSINS.

>> TO BE HONEST, I FELT RELIEVED.

BECAUSE THREE YEARS I HAVE BEEN MOVING BETWEEN SAFE HOUSES 21 TIMES.

I DIDN'T HAVE A NORMAL LIFE.

AND I WAS SCREAMING, CRYING, DANCING.

I WAS BOMBARDED BY DIFFERENT EMOTIONS.

PEOPLE WERE THERE TO KILL ME, CONVICTED.

I AM ALIVE, I AM A ALIVE.

I KNOW MAYBE PEOPLE DON'T GET IT, BUT YOU MUST BE GIVEN A COND LIFE TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT FEELS TO FACE YOUR WOULD-BE ASSASSINS.

>> I DON'T WANT TO BRING UP TOO MUCH TRAUMA FOR YOU, BUT I THINK FOR SOME AMERICANS, THIS KIND OF THING SEEMS FAR AWAY.

BUT THIS WAS AT YOUR HOME IN NEW YORK THAT YOU ACTUALLY SAW THIS WOULD-BE ASSASSIN.

WHAT MEMORY OF THAT DAY IN 2022 STANDS OUT TO YOU?

>> FIRST OF ALL, I REALLY APPRECIATE WHEN YOU SAID, YOU DON'T WANT TO BRING TOO MUCH TRAUMA, BECAUSE A LOT OF TIME PEOPLE EVEN DON'T GET THAT THIS IS NOT A NEWS STORY.

THIS IS MY LIFE.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME I WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF THIS HAPPENED TO ME TODAY, IT MIGHT HAPPEN TO YOU IN AMERICA, IN BROOKLYN IN FRONT OF MY SUNFLOWERS GARDEN, MY BEAUTIFUL GARDEN WHERE I USED TO FEED THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH MY TOMATO, CUCUMBERS, BASIL, THE GUY WAS THERE, GIGANTIC GUY, I STARED INTO HIS EYES, BUT I THOUGHT HE'S JUST TAKING PICTURE OF MY BEAUTIFUL GARDEN.

I THOUGHT HE'S ADMIRING MY GARDEN.

BUT HE WAS NOT.

>> HE WAS THERE TO KILL YOU.

>> HE SAID THAT IN A PUBLIC COURT THAT I WAS THERE TO KILL THE JOURNALIST.

>> NOW, KNOWING WHAT YOU DO, AND WE'VE SEEN OTHER REPORTING THAT IRAN, FOR EXAMPLE, HAS WORKED WITH CRIMINAL GANGS IN THIS COUNTRY TO TRY AND TARGET THOSE WHO OPPOSE IT, HOW BROAD DO YOU THINK IRAN'S REACH IS AROUND THE WORLD?

>> LISTEN, IT'S NOT JUST ME.

THERE ARE MORE THAN 500 PEOPLE WHO WERE THE TARGET OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC IN FOUR DECADES, BEYOND THEIR OWN BORDERS.

AND IN THIS CASE, THEY ACTUALLY HIRED RUSSIAN MOBSTERS.

THEY WERE TRYING TO ACTUALLY KIDNAP ME FIRST, BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT THE FIRST ASSASSINATION PLOT.

I SURVIVED THREE.

THE FIRST PLOT, THEY WERE TRYING TO KIDNAP ME, TO TAKE ME TO VENEZUELA.

SO YOU SEE, VENEZUELA, RUSSIA, SO THESE DICTATORS ARE HELPING EACH OTHER TO GET RID OF ANY OF THEIR CRITICS BEYOND THEIR OWN BORDERS.

THIS IS CALLED TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION.

AND THAT'WHY I THINKS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FOR AMERICANS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENS IN DICTATORSHIP IS NOT GONNA STAY THERE.

I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN VEGAS, STAYS IN VEGAS.

BUT WHAT HAPPENED THE TERRORIST - - HAPENS IN THE TERRORIST COUNTRIES LIKE IRAN, RUSSIA.

THEY CAN INFECT THE REST OF THE WORLD.

>> YOU REMAIN AN ACTIVIST AND A TARGET.

CAN YOU HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THE STATE FOR WOMEN RIGHT NOW UNDER THE IRANIAN REGIME AND HOW YOU THINK THAT COULD CHANGE OR IF IT COULD?

>> THEY ARE MY HERO.

THE REASON, ACTUALLY, I'M NOT GIVING UP MY FIGHT ARE BECAUSE OF THESE WOMEN.

THEY'RE SAYING TO THE AYATOLLAHS, WE'RE HERE, UNVEILED.

WHERE ARE YOU?

SO THAT ACTUALLY SHOWS YOU THAT WOMEN IN IRAN, THEY'RE NOT JUST FIGHTING AGAINST, LIKE, COMPULSORY VEILING OR A SMALL PIECE OF CLOTH.

THEY WANT TO HAVE SECULAR DEMOCRACY.

YOU KNOW, IN MY COURT, THERE WAS A WOMAN WHO WAS DELIBERATELY BLINDED BY THE REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS DURING THE UPRISING.

>> BLINDED.

>> BLINDED, YEAH, SHE LOST HER EYE BECAUSE THEY SHOOT HER IN HER EYE.

AND THEN SHE WAS BLINDED, BUT SHE WAS THERE WITH THE HOPE, WITH ME IN A PUBLIC TRIAL.

AND I WAS LIKE ASKING HER, WHY DID YOU COME ALL THE WAY?

SHE WAS LIKE, I WANT TO SHOW AMERICANS THAT THEY DID EVERYTHING TO US.

THEY TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM US, BUT NOT HOPE.

>> WHAT IS THE MEANING OF YOUR TATTOO?

>> ZANZAN DEGHI AZADI, WOMAN, LIFE, FREEDOM.

YOU KNOW WHAT, IT MAKES ME EMOTIONAL BECAUSE IN MY COUNTRY WOMEN GOT BLINDED, GOT KILLED, MEN GOT EXECUTED.

FOR THE CRIME OF JUST PEACEFULLY CHANTING, WOMAN, LIFE, FREEDOM.

SO OUR CULTURE IS TOLERANCE, MUSIC.

SINGING.

BUT WOMEN ARE IN PRISON FOR THE CRIME OF SINGING IN MY COUNTRY IN 21ST CENTURY.

SO I WANT TO ASK EVERYONE TO JOIN MY FIGHT.

YES, I AM AN ACTIVIST.

I'M LOUD, LOUDER THAN EVER BUT I CAN'T DO IT ON MY OWN.

>> YOU ARE A JOURNALIST.

YOU ARE ALSO AN AMERICAN CITIZEN.

PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS TAKEN SOME ACTIONS AGAINST THE MEDIA IN THIS COUNTRY.

HE SAYS THE MEDIA IS BIASED AGAINST HIM.

I WONDER HOW YOU SEE WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS COUNTRY WITH THE MEDIA RIGHT NOW.

>> TO BE HONEST, IT BREAKS MY HEART WHEN I WALK IN THE STREET, EVEN PEOPLE TELL ME THAT, MASIH, WE SUPPORT YOU.

DON'T GO TO FOX NEWS.

SOME OF THEM STOP ME AND THEY SAY, MASSEY WE SUPPORT YOU, BUT DON'T GO CNN.

SO, AND I'M LIKE, OH MY GOD, I'M COMING FROM DICTATORSHIP COUNTRY, HAVING FOX NEWS AND CNN AND MSNBC, PBS, IT'S JUST OUR DREAM, BECAUSE WE HAVE ONLY ONE STATE CONTROLLED TV.

WE HAVE ONLY ONE.

THE CLERIC, THE BIG GUY MAKING DECISION ABOUT EVERYTHING, ABOUT - - DECISIONS ABOUT EVERYTHING, ABOUT MY BODY, ABOUT NUCLEAR, ABOUT OUR LIFESTYLE, ABOUT EVERYTHING.

SO THAT'S WHY I WANNA DEDICATE MY LIFE TO NOT ONLY GIVE VOICE TO MY PEOPLE, TO GET RID OF DICTATORSHIP, BUT TO PROTECT AMERICA, TO PROTECT FREEDOM OF SPEECH FROM THIS MINDSET, SAYING THAT, LET'S CANCEL THIS, LET CANCEL THAT.

- - LET'S CANCEL THAT.

LET'S WORK TOGETHER AND LOVE AMERICA AND PROTECT AMERICA.

>> MASIH ALINEJAD, WHAT AN HONOR TO SPEAK WITH YOU.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE.

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